Chuck is the author of the published novels: Blackbirds, Mockingbird, Under the Empyrean Sky, Blue Blazes, Double Dead, Bait Dog,Dinocalypse Now, Beyond Dinocalypse and Gods & Monsters: Unclean Spirits. He also the author of the soon-to-be-published novels: The Cormorant, Blightborn (Heartland Book #2), Heartland Book #3, Dinocalypse Forever, Frack You, and The Hellsblood Bride. Also coming soon is his compilation book of writing advice from this very blog: The Kick-Ass Writer, coming from Writers Digest.

He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is an alum of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter’s Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, showed at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producers Ted Hope and Anne Carey. Together they co-wrote the digital transmedia drama Collapsus, which was nominated for an International Digital Emmy and a Games 4 Change award.

Chuck has contributed over two million words to the game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP). He was a frequent contributor to The Escapist, writing about games and pop culture.

Much of his writing advice has been collected in various writing- and storytelling-related e-books.

He currently lives in the forests of Pennsyltucky with wife, two dogs, and tiny human.

He is likely drunk and untrustworthy. This blog is NSFW and probably NSFL.

Chuck Wendig is a novelist, screenwriter, and game designer. This is his blog. He talks a lot about writing. And food. And pop culture. And his kid. He uses lots of naughty language. NSFW. Probably NSFL. Be advised.

The Secret To Writing?

I get asked that, sometimes. Over e-mail. In person. By invisible leprechauns.

My secret is long-kept. It’s a brash, brassy alchemical recipe that, frankly, most writers simply cannot replicate. Its hoary, frothy reagents are direly specific, pointing the way toward forgotten and forbidden penmonkey magicks-with-a-k-and-made-plural. And yet, I’ve been sitting on this too long. This dread sorcery is burning holes in my tighty-whities. It is both chafing and chapping my nether-cheeks. It sometimes squirms as if I’ve underpants full of eels. Electric, bitey eels.

What if I die without giving away my recipe?

What will my legacy be?

How will any other writer ever be successful if I don’t transcribe these hidden truths onto a digital scroll? If I don’t light the path with the flaming torch-skulls of my fallen writer enemies, who will?

Thus I spill the secret to you here, now, today. No matter that I will be hunted for giving away such precious, preening truths. The Council shall come for me, and I shall be waiting with eyes of ink.

You can see it in the digital scroll (created with Ye Olde Fotoshoppe) above, but just in case your eyes are burned out of your head by such heretical Internet enchantments, the secret is:

Write as much as you can.

As fast as you can.

Finish your shit.

Hit your deadlines.

Try very hard not to suck.

(The magic incantation is WAFHT. Which sounds like you’re really drunk and trying to say, “What the fuck?” Or, perhaps, trying to verbalize the acronym for said phrase, WTF.)

It’s quite complex, I know! Nearly impossible to replicate. To reproduce such maddening cosmic geometry you’d have to thread the needle perfectly — calling upon dark powers in such a way that it requires the mystical dexterity necessary to tattoo an ancient sigil on the testicles of a Kodiak bear blasted on sweet Columbian nose-candy. But, I dare not contain the secret of my ways any longer.

May you keep the secret or spread it wantonly, like ringworm.

(Feel free to share that graphic. I’ve opened it on Flickr with a Creative Commons license)

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54 comments

So, it’s alchemical, right? Which means it’s made in a cauldron… So…
The above is what it all boils down to???

Sometimes, I amuse myself. I am, fortunately, easily amused.

But seriously? As ever, oh bearded overlord, thou sayest the sooth. Work hard. Fulfill obligations, even if they are just to yourself. Don’t suck. The only thing I would add is to refuse to listen to the unhelpful, the perpetually negative and the just plain crazy. Get the latter to mix the drinks.

Sounds good! I expect nothing less from the author behind the venerable “Blackbirds” (review incoming). That said, will reading help your skills as an author or does reading simply serve as a way to get fresh ideas?

I will engrave your magical incantation electronically at the top of my editorial calendar so that it is always the first thing I see each day. I shall salute the sun each morning with WAHFT. It will be my new mantra.

The sad thing is, I already knew this. But often the “Try very hard to suck” gets place on top and that’s where it goes all downhill. I’m going to remember that comes later. I think there’s a reason it’s at the bottom of the list.

Thanks again for straight to the facts, no B.S., honest advice. It’s what you’re known for and it’s your best quality…other than all the cursing and pantlessness

Back in the 70s, Lawrence Block did an informal survey of more than 100 novelists at the time (he mentions this in his book WRITING THE NOVEL: FROM PLOT TO PRINT). He found that the novelists he surveyed averaged 1000-1250 words per day. Given the length of most modern novels — say, 90,000–120,000 words — that means that a *lot* of professionals are finishing their books in about 3–4 months and producing probably 2–3 novels per year (if you factor in any time spent editing). Stephen King and Robert J. Sawyer each write 2000 words per day. Sawyer probably finishes his in about 2–3 months. King writes longer books, about 180,000 words or more, but with his output he still manages to complete them in about 3 months. Block’s own writing method, according to his book, has him editing the previous day’s work before starting the current day’s work, so that when he types “The End” it really is “The End.” Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYL AND MR HYDE in a matter of days. Charles Dickens wrote his novels in weekly installments to be printed in the newspapers of the day, hardly a process conducive to taking one’s time.

Clearly, writing quickly is one of the keys to success, despite the misguided belief that writing the best fiction is a slow and painstaking process. People just don’t like the idea that something good can be produced quickly, even though the time taken to produce *anything* has no bearing whatsoever on the final product.